Ujjain

Ujjain (Hindi:उज्जैन) (also known as Ujain, Ujjayini, Avanti, Avantikapuri) is an ancient city of central India, in the Malwa region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division. In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini. As per epic Mahabharata Ujjayani was the capital of Avanti Kingdom. It has been the first meridian of longitude for Hindu geographers since the 4th century BCE. It is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, and the Kumbh Mela religious festival is held there every twelve years. It is also home to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva.

Lord Shiva and Ujjain

The legend goes that when Lord Shiva founded Ujjain at the behest of Parvati on the banks of Shipra, four gates were established to guard the city from all four directions. Four guardian deities Pingaleshwar (East), Kayavarohaneshwar (South), Dardureshwar (North) and Bilveshwar (West) were appointed with Mahakaleshwar at centre of the town

Various Names of Ujjain

Since Ujjain is one of the oldest cities in India, it has been known by very many names, among which were as under:[1] Out of them some have relations with Jat clans given with each name.

Kumudvati - Kumud (कुमुद) is a gotra of Jats. This gotra started after Naga named Kumuda. [4]Kumud was one of combatants armed with diverse weapons and clad in diverse kinds of robes and ornaments, that Skanda procured at the time of ceremony of investiture. (See - Shalya Parva in Mahabharata)

History

The earliest references to the city, as Ujjaini, are from the time of the Buddha, when it was the capital of the Avanti Kingdom. Since the 4th century B.C. the city has marked the first meridian of longitude in Hindu geography. It is also reputed to have been the residence of Ashoka (who subsequently became the emperor), when he was the viceroy of the western provinces of the Maurya empire.

In the Post-Mauryan period, the city was ruled by the Sungas and the Satavahanas consecutively. It was contested for a period between the Satavahanas and the Indo-ScythianSakas, known as Western Satraps; however, following the end of the Satavahana dynasty, the city was retained by the Sakas from the 2nd to the 4th century CE. Following the conquest of the Sakas by the Guptas, the city soon became an important seat in the annals of that empire. Ujjain is considered to be the traditional capital of King Chandragupta II, also known as Vikramaditya, at whose court the nine poets known as the navaratna (nine jewels) of Sanskrit literature are said to have flourished.

In the 6th and 7th centuries, Ujjain was a major centre of mathematical and astronomical research. The famous mathematicians who worked there included: Brahmagupta, whose book Brahmasphutasiddhanta was responsible for spreading the use of zero, negative numbers and the positional number system to Arabia and Cambodia; Varahamihira, who was the first to discover many trigonometric identities; and Bhaskaracharya, or Bhaskara II, whose book Lilavati broke new ground in many areas of mathematics.

Ujjain was invaded by the forces of the Delhi Sultanate led by Iltutmish in 1235, suffering widespread destruction and systematic desecration of temples. Under the Mughal emperor Akbar it became the capital of Malwa.

During the last half of the 18th century Ujjain was the headquarters of the Maratha leader Sindhia. The Sindhias later established themselves at Gwalior, and Ujjain remained part of Gwalior state until Indian Independence in 1947. Gwalior state became a princely state of the British Raj after the Maratha defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, and Gwalior, Ujjain, and the neighboring princely states were made a part of the Central India Agency. After Indian independence, the Sindhia ruler of Gwalior acceded to India, and Ujjain became part of the Madhya Bharat state. In 1956 Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh state.

Pachar/Pawar - Pachar or Pachehra is degenerated form of Panwar. Their origin was at Dharanagari. Sujan Singh was their chieftain. Sujan Singh won the places Udiya, Amber, Ujjain, Averi, Abugarh and Sanganeri, which were in the territory of Rajarao. He defeated the five states so they were called Pachehra. Sujan Singh progressed further and also won Hindon, Bayana and Gwalior forts. Sujan Singh established villages Dhahrooa, Kanarai. He also defeated Kalars who had great nuisance and had dominance in Brij area.

Tevatia - Tevatia Jats believe that they have migrated from village named Tevti/Teoti. There is one village of this name in Bharatpur. There is also a village of this name near Ujjain. River Tapti is considered to be named after this gotra. Country Tibet is also believed to be named after this gotra.

Dabas - According to puranic legend Dabas are the descendants of Maharishi Dadhichi the great king of Sindh in Vedic period. He had four sons namely Dahiya, Davyas (Dabas), Kundu and Hooda. Dadhichi an emperor turned Maharishi died at the age of 100 years while fighting to non-Aryan tribes. In the battle his four sons fought with utmost bravery and annihilated the non-Aryans. The epic makers goes on to prove that the families of Dahiya, Dabas, Kundu and Hooda lived together up to the times of Mahabharat in the shape of groups like Soorsaini, Vrishni and Bhoja. They lived in Ujjain, Avantika, Sambal, Inderprastha, Rajasthan and other Northern India parts up to 7th Century AD.

Jat Gotras in Ujjain

Sunda inscription

Bhim Singh Dahiya writes that-

"I'd like to mention that while Jats are mentioned they were never noticed by Indian historians deliberately. One is from Sunda inscription of Sinda chief Chavunda, which says that "just as Amravati looked ever beautiful with Indra, or Ayodhya with the descendants of Raghu, Mathura with Govinda, Ujjayni with Gutta, and Hastinapur with son of Marut (Bhima); so also Erambarapura attained gracefulness with Sinda Chief Chavunda". Now all the references are well understood, but no one has explained who were or was the Gutta (or Guttan) through whom the city of Ujjayani was so known. [5]

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams, the sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in the city of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh state, India. It is a three-storey temple, on the side of the lake called Rudra Sagar.

The main deity, Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be swayambhu (born of itself), deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams which are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti. The idol of Mahakaleshwar is known to be dakshinamurti, facing the South. This is a unique feature, upheld by tantric tradition to be found only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 jyotirlingas. The idol of Omkareshwar Shiva is consecrated in the sanctum above the Mahakal shrine. The images of Ganesh, Parvati and Kartikeya are installed in the west, north and east of the sanctum sanctorum. To the south is the image of Nandi.

The temple has five levels one of which is underground. The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls near a lake. The shikhara or the spire is adorned with sculptural finery. Brass lamps light the way to the underground sanctum.

The Udaipur Stone Inscription of Udayaditya (EI,I,22) states that he was the son of Gyāta, the grandson of Goṇḍala. In the Pathashala of Bhoja, there is an inscription of two verses in Nagabandha figure composed by Udayaditya. Similar verses are also found at Ujjain and Un. He was follower of Shaivism. He granted the village of Vilapadraka to the temple of Somanatha, which was situated in the fort of Koshavardhana i.e. the modern Shergarh (EI, XXIII, pp.131ff). [11]

Bade Ganeshji ka Mandir

This temple, situated above the tank near the Mahakaleshwar Temple, contains a huge artistic sculpture of Ganesha, the son of Shiva. An idol of this size and beauty is rarely to be found. The middle of the temple is adorned by an idol of the panch-mukhi (five-faced) Hanuman. There is a provision for learning of Sanskrit and Astrology in the temple.

Chintaman Ganesh temple

Chintaman Ganesh Ujjain.

Chintaman means "the assurer of freedom from worldly anxieties". This temple is built across the Shipra river on the Fatehabad railway line. The Ganesh idol in this temple is supposed to be swayambhu - born of itself. Riddhi and Siddhi, the consorts of Ganesha, are seated on either side of Ganesha. The temple is considered to be of considerable antiquity. The artistically carved pillars in the assembly hall date back to the Paramara period. The temple is about 15 km from the main city. Every Wednesday people come for special darshana.

Hara Siddhi Temple

This temple occupies a special place in the galaxy of ancient sacred spots of Ujjain.
The temple is dedicated to Annapurna, seated between the idols of Mahalakshami and Mahasaraswati, the Annapurna is painted with a dark vermillion colour. The Shri Yatra, the symbol of power or shakti, is also enshrined in this temple. According to Shiva Purana, when Shiva carried away the burning body of Sati from the sacrificial fire, her elbow dropped at this place. There is an interesting legend in the Skanda Purana about the manner in which the Goddess Chandi acquired the epthet of Harassiddhi. Once whenShiva and Parvati were alone on mount Kailasha, two demons called Chanda and Prachanda tried to force their way in. Pleases Shiva bestowed upon her the epithet of Harasiddhi means 'one who vanquishes all'.

The temple was reconstructed during the Maratha period and has two pillars adorned with lamps, that are special features of Maratha art. There is an ancient well on the premises, and an artistic pillar adorns the top of it.

There are two temples in the Hara Siddhi Temple campus which go unnoticed. These are the Agasteshwara temple and the Karkoteshwara temple. They are associated with Agastya rishi and the Karkotaka which find mention in the ancient Jat History.

Kal Bhairava temple

Kalabhairava Temple Ujjain

The worship of the eight Bhairavas is a part of Saivite tradition, and the chief among them is Kala Bhairava. The Kal Bhairava temple is believed to have been built by King Bhadrasen, on the banks of the Shipra. Mentioned in the Avanti Khanda of the Skanda Purana. Important for the TantricKapalika and Aghora sects, of which Ujjain was a prominent centre. Beautiful paintings in the Malwa style once decorated the temple walls, only traces of which are visible. The village of Bhairogarh, famous for its printing, takes its name from the temple, and is located very near.

Mangalnath temple

Shiva or Mahadeva is the deity which is worshipped in Mangalnath temple. The Mangalnath temple is situated away from the bustle of the city and lokks down upon a vast expanse of the Shipra River. It is regarded as the birth place of Mars (mangala in hindi), according to the Matsya Purana. Famous for a clear view of the planet and hence suitable for astronomical studies.

Gopal Mandir

Constructed by Bayajibai Shinde, the queen of Maharajah Daulat Rao Shinde, in the 19th century. The door in the inner sanctum is believed to have been carried to Ghazni from the Somnath temple and from thence by Mahmud Shah Abdali to Lahore, from where it was rescued by Mahadji Scindia.

Siddhavat

Features an enormous banyan tree on the banks of the Shipra, considered sacred since the medieval ages. This banyan tree has got the same significance as that of akshayavata in Prayag and Gaya, Vanshivata of Vrindavan and Panchavata of Nasik.
Thousands of people take dip in the Shipra River from the bathing ghats built here. According to one tradition, Parvati is believed have performed her penance here. It used to be a place of worship for the followers of the Natha sect. The little village of Bhairogarh near Siddhawat is famous for its tie-and-die printing for centuries. In ancient times, when the trade with other counties flourished, exquisitely printed cloth from Bhairogarh used to find its way to Rome and China.

Kaliadeh Palace

It is situated on the banks of Shipra River and a beautiful ancient site. It is believed that there was once a majestic Sun temple at this site. The Avanti-mahatmya of Skanda Purana has recorded a description of the Sun temple and two tanks, The Surya Kunda and the Brahma Kunda. Remains of old temple are scattered all around.
A fragmented inscription of this place records building of the palace in 1458 AD, in the time of Mahmud Khilji. The central dome of the palace is a beautiful example of Persian architecture. Two Persian inscriptions record the visits of Akbar and Jehangir to this palace. The palace was broken by the Pindaris and was restored by Madhav Rao Scindia in 1920.

Sandipani Ashram

Ujjain in ancient times, enjoyed the reputation of being a great seat of learning as early as the Mahabharata period. According to Puranic traditions, in the Ashrama of Guru Sandipani, Krishna and Sudama received their education. The area near the ashrama is known as ankapata, popularly believed to have been the place used by Lord krishna for washing his writing tablet. The numerals 1 to 100 found on a stone are believed to have been engraved by Guru Sandipani. the Gomti Kunda, referred to in the Puranas, was the source of water supply to the ashrama in the olden days. An image of Nandi, belonging to the Shunga period, is to be found near the tank. The followers of the Vallabha sect regard this place as the 73rd seat of the 84 seats of Vallabhacharya where he delivered his discourses throughout India.

Durgadas Ki Chhatri

Durgadas fought for the independence of Jodhpur after the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh and helped Ajit Singh to ascend the throne against the wishes of Aurangzeb. Durgadas died at Rampura in 1718 and his funeral rites were performed according to his wishes on the banks of Shipra River. The rulers of Jodhpur built the Chatri as Memorial to Durgadas, whose funeral rites were performed at this place in 1718. This structure built in Rajpur style of architecture, housed a statue of Durgadas which crumbled down.

Gadkalika

Inscription at Gadhkalika

Gadkalika, situated about two miles from the present town, the deity in this temple is believed to have been worshiped by Kalidasa. The legend goes that he was an idiot and it is by this devotion to the goddess Kalika that he acquired great literary skill.
Believed to have been frequented by Kalidasa, this temple was renovated by Harshavardhan in the 7th century AD, and again during the Paramara period. The temple has been rebuilt in the modern times by the erstwhile Gwalior State.